What percent of your spending is recreation?

[SecondCor521]

Hi all.

I have a Quicken category called Recreation. For the most recent six months, that category represents 8.18% of my spending.

It includes things like golf, bridge, movies, swimming, skiing, and vacations. Basically anything I do that is optional and fun (to me).

It excludes eating out, which is categorized as Food. It excludes Pets, which gets it's own category in my world.

I'm curious what other's percentages are. Feel free to split out vacations if you like; that is where a large portion of my Recreation spending goes, and it could be it's own category.

 

[old medic]

50% of the leftovers ? After paying bills half goes to to savings, the reminder is our BTD for the month.

 

[RetireAge50]

Over the last 5 years since we retired travel and recreation was 30% of total spending.

 

[Kork13]

Notionally, we allocate around 5%. In practice, we save/invest upfront, pay our bills, spend the rest on what we want/need to, and it evens out across the months/years.

I stopped my previous hyper-detailed tracking of our budget & expenses around the time our first child was born. I realized that level of detail simply wasn't value-added anymore. We save/invest heavily (40-60% of income), cover our expenses easily, and have never been spendthrifts.... So we just don't stress about it -- with young kids, there's plenty else to worry more about.

 

[jollystomper]

I have a different Quicken breakout - not saying it is better than yours, it is just different :

• Recreation = Things I physically choose to engage in. Gym membership, sports activities, equipment needed for those sports activities. Also, this is done when not on a "vacation" i.e. day trips only.
• Entertainment = Things that I enjoy passively. Concerts, plays, ballgames, movie theaters, , etc. Also when not done on a "vacation".
• Vacation = all expenses when I am on an overnight vacation of my choice for enjoyment (for example, I do not count expenses for a trip to attend a relative's funeral that involves overnight stays as "vacation"). I do have sub-categories under that for travel, lodging, food, activities, etc.

For the last 12 months/since retirement as a percentage of expenses:
- Recreation: 3.5%/2.8%
- Entertainment: 0.8%/0.5%
- Vacation: 9.2%/10%

 

[Midpack]

More than some, less than others, just right for us. Most important, it’s discretionary spending we can reduce or eliminate when/if necessary. Our spending budget is about 2/3rds essential or less, so we’re very flexible.

 

[braumeister]

One of my spending categories is called "Hobbies and Travel". Over time it has averaged 24% of the total.

 

[Car-Guy]

Post retirement and pre-pandemic (a period of ~10 years) my discretionary recreation/entertainment/hobby/travel expenses were in the ~70% annual spend rate range. Post Covid, (now) it's more like 20%, at most.

 

[REWahoo]

Roughly 10-12%.

 

[COcheesehead]

Less than 1% for hobbies, but we have categories for travel, dining out, concerts/movies and entertainment that in total are 25% of our budget.

 

[aja8888]

I don't keep track in detail of what we spend other than medical expenses. We really don't keep a budget, just spend on what's needed. Recreation consists of golf for me and being DW is barely able to walk these days, she has no recreation spending. Golf probably costs me $250 per month and $0 in winter months.

As long as income exceeds outgo, we are golden.

 

[fosterscik]

Nominally 30% of our total budget. But it was much less in the first covid year and we've been using more recently.

 

[W2R]

I spend about 1% on video gaming.

Most of our recreation is eating out and then doing free things (like watching the birds down at the lake or going for a drive).

 

[Car-Guy]

^^^^
You could go down to Canal street and watch the ships go by "above your ground level"... Always interesting to watch and it's free.

On second thought, maybe you locals would rather not be re-minded of such things.

 

[W2R]

^^^^
You could go down to Canal street and watch the ships go by "above your ground level"... Always interesting to watch and it's free.

We do that, and 1 million other free things on our pleasure drives. Why a person would have to spend money on recreation, is beyond me. Well, except video games (for me), and TV streaming services (for him).

What we DON'T do is travel, go to paid concerts (there are great musicians playing on street corners for free here all the time), and so on.

 

[Dtail]

My travel and entertainment budget is 21% of total costs and my discretionary costs is 30% of the budget.

 

[Dtail]

We do that, and 1 million other free things on our pleasure drives. Why a person would have to spend money on recreation, is beyond me. Well, except video games (for me), and TV streaming services (for him).

What we DON'T do is travel, go to paid concerts (there are great musicians playing on street corners for free here all the time), and so on.

As far as recreation, some of us do have hobbies which cost some money such as Pickleball for me which entails 2 new pairs of sneakers every 4 months and 2 new paddles a year, plus costs to enter tournaments (8 medals so far).

 

[W2R]

As far as recreation, some of us do have hobbies which cost some money such as Pickleball for me which entails 2 new pairs of sneakers every 4 months and 2 new paddles a year, plus costs to enter tournaments (8 medals so far).

Well, my hobby is video games (which is what that recreation money of less than 1% is spent on). Got to buy the latest console, online subscription, game cartridges, and so on. I don't do competitive gaming which I'd imagine is costly, and would not be very fulfilling for me. I prefer being a solitary gamer.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

YTD % of spending since I don't have a full calendar year retired yet...


Entertainment (Recreation, includes dining out which I only do socially): 25%
Health (Includes fitness/mental health/Personal Growth related that some might call recreation): 25%
Household: 23%
Auto (inc sinking fund): 11%
Utilities: 7%
Groceries: 5%
Giving: 5% (gifts and charity)

 

[athena53]

Typically 20%, mostly travel.

It may be higher this year. I'm typing this from Zagreb.

 

[audreyh1]

We have travel, which has several subcategories and is the biggest discretionary expense by far; entertainment which includes streaming services; exercise which covers all related gear as well as classes; hobbies; garden. Photography has it’s own category and covers equipment and supplies.

The percentages are highly variable depending on the year. I’ve had some years where travel spending was half the budget, not counting gifting.

 

[travelover]

Is my Lamborghini recreation or transportation?

 

[Teacher Terry]

I walk for exercise and get together frequently with friends for dinner and games. We take turns cooking. I belong to a dining club that I go out with a few times a month. Occasionally I go to a movie and I love to knit. I spend 100/month on fun. I don’t count my vacations in that category. I also have a separate category for my dogs which are the most important thing to me besides my real kids.

 

[aja8888]

Is my Lamborghini recreation or transportation?

Old man seen driving a Lambo is transportation.

 

[travelover]

Old man seen driving a Lambo is transportation.

Yea, I guess the white pony tail gives it away.